Abstract
A strategy that has the potential to contribute to the achievement of the targets established under SDG 8 (“Decent Work and Economic Growth”) involves the development of sustainable tourism to create productive job and livelihood opportunities and to promote local culture and products. In the province of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Indonesia, ikat weaving is an integral part of the cultural heritage of the region, with ikat characterized by unique design motives and the use of natural dyes. Unfortunately, in some areas, the use of natural dyes is diminishing as a result of competition with synthetic dyes and the limited availability of raw materials, particularly for the production of blue dye. The development of Indigofera spp. to produce natural, plant-based blue dye has significant potential to contribute to community incomes and employment. This study outlines a strategy for developing the use of Indigofera spp. as a natural dye and describes its potential for contributing to community incomes, especially on Timor Island, NTT. The study shows that weavers currently use indigo plants that grow naturally in gardens and yards. Although the community has a tradition of using these plants, informed by local wisdom, to develop the cultivation and processing of this plant through the application of the appropriate techniques, including innovative approaches to producing indigo paste, could enable the development of Indigofera spp. cultivation on a larger scale. The study shows that the availability of suitable land is high (±370 thousand ha), with 80% of the suitable land being categorized as critical. The study proposes a development based on the analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to assess the manner in which these opportunities could be leveraged with the support and participation of local communities and other stakeholders by leveraging the culture and wisdom of the community regarding the use of Indigofera spp.
Highlights
The province of East Nusa Tenggara has been in the top three poorest provinces in Indonesia (Beneditus Dalupe 2020; Wiryanta 2007)
This paper shows the result of a series of activities conducted on Timor Island on (i) the evaluation of the use of natural dyes on Timor Island; (ii) the identification of best practice cultivation techniques for Indigofera spp.; (iii) socializing the leaf-processing technologies that enable the production of indigo paste for use as dyes; (iv) land suitability analysis for the cultivation of Indigofera spp.; and (v) economic analysis to determine the viability of the cultivation and utilization of Indigofera spp. as a raw material for the production of natural dye
Research shows that I. tinctoria L. seedlings planted in a mixed media consisting of soil, cocopeat, and rice husk charcoal (1:2:2) and placed in an unshaded location (0%)
Summary
The province of East Nusa Tenggara (hereinafter referred to as NTT) has been in the top three poorest provinces in Indonesia (Beneditus Dalupe 2020; Wiryanta 2007). The livelihoods of the people of NTT still depend on natural resources, 48,7% obtained from agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, while 34% from the service sector. 40.35% of the people depend on natural resources for their livelihoods in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries (BPS Provinsi NTT 2021). NTT has creative economic potential through the culture-based tourism industry. With the increasing importance of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in various situations, tourism can play an important role in achieving goal number 8 of the 17 SDGs 2017; Dahles et al 2020; Scheyvens and Hughes 2019; Westoby et al 2021). If implemented sustainably, seeks to balance the three pillars, namely economy, society, and the environment (Saarinen 2018; Sharpley 2020; Westoby et al 2021)
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